Painting in Terrible Times
“Unintended Consequences” 5x7 feet 2022
As I write the world is focused on the terrible events in Ukraine, which demands the split focus of terrible events that are ongoing in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria, and on and on. It’s humanly impossible to maintain focus and vigilance on so many levels, to say nothing of contributing meaningfully in ways other than financially. I’ve found myself painting more than ever and giving “value” titles to otherwise inchoate abstracts, an impulse that does nothing other than offer emotional support in the same spirit as prayers or local demonstrations do for others.
Our one year Nitro Anniversary!
Being a painter is a lonely profession by its very nature: painting during the last two years of pandemic isolation posed specific challenges, but also opportunities. Thanks to Instagram, Zoom, YouTube, and the human need for others, we formed a new gallery during these weaird times: and now it’s our one year anniversary!
Being a painter is a lonely profession by its very nature: painting during the last two years of pandemic isolation posed specific challenges, but also opportunities. Thanks to Instagram, Zoom, YouTube, and the human need for others, we formed a new gallery during these weird times: and now it’s our one year anniversary!
Here’s a brief look at how brick and mortar galleries can expand their reach exponentially on the web.
COVID isolation, a closed home gallery and cancelled art shows meant a dearth of conversation about not only technique, but making a living as a painter, marketing, and all those exchanges that we used to take for granted. So I reached out to some artists I had been following on Instagram whose styles and output were similar to mine: large scale, bold, painterly abstracts (as Picasso said, “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”)to see if they wanted to meet on Zoom and talk. They did, and the monthly confabs were a great way to make virtual friends and peers.
Then one of the group, Susan Washington had an idea.
Susan, who has a background in the New York fashion industry, lived and worked as a collage artist and painter in the Poconos. She had hosted a now-retired online gallery called NITRO , and in the Spring of 2021 when she relocated to Baltimore, thought it might be worth reviving as an online space. She contacted another member of the Zoom group, Lori Mirabelli, based in downtown Toronto, who had extensive experience selling both online and in brick-and-mortar galleries, to sound out the idea. Lori contacted me, and we three started to create the new Nitro Gallery.
We all bring different skills to the table: I’m a communications professional; Susan is widely networked; and Lori is an expert in online marketing. But most of all, we share an entrepreneurial spirit, we move fast, and are generous with expertise and support.
How We Began
We spent a few weeks hammering out a goal, then a strategy. Our goal was to start a gallery with just the three of us, which could grow incrementally, and promote our work on Artsy through that vehicle. We were already on other internet platforms but as individuals. Our strategy was to build on what we already had.
Since we have (still!) never met in person, and live in different parts of the continent, investing in real estate was not an option. But when Susan relocated to a converted industrial building in Baltimore, she suggested that the gallery be located in part of her studio space. Lori and I shipped a large painting each in time for a reception that included designers and collectors. The point was to make our work available to interested buyers to see and feel our individual finish and textures.
How We Did It
We spent several months bringing our own websites and the new Nitro Gallery as close to SEO perfection as possible. Lori shared everything she knew, sometimes stepping in to do the work herself, about how to get our sites seen and followed in google searches.
Susan publicized Nitro online and in Baltimore, hosting several open houses for local collectors that visited not only her work but ours.
We all started posting on Instagram regularly, and did the first of our series of Instagram Live chats that resulted in new friends and followers. In fact, someone who had followed Lori already lives about an hour from me, and came to visit when I had my monthly Open Gallery! An actual friend from a virtual introduction.
Finally, we decided we were ready to commit to a contract with Artsy to broaden our reach even further, focusing on Nitro Gallery.
How We’re Moving Forward
Signing a contract was the first step, with the three of us splitting the costs. Leveraging the site means tagging Artsy as well as Nitro in our individual posts, and hosting more online shows on both platforms. As everyone who is involved in online sales knows, marketing can take as much as three hours a day, and is an integral part of getting your work seen and hopefully purchased.
We’ve committed to this adventure for the next year, and continue to brainstorm together on Zoom, through (terribly early morning) messages, creating YouTube videos, hosting Instagram Live chats, reaching out to designers and decorators who are looking for large-scale work, and generally improving our individual and collective practices. The art world has changed- and we’re changing with it!
Know when to fold ‘em
Finding your own voice
I think i’m not alone in being eagerly influenced by either artists I admire: a new palette, a system of markmaking, a boldness in materials. But the more I paint, the more I realize that what feels like “me” is saturated color, organic flow, and a pleasing balance. Last month I worked on a new 4x5 canvas that was light, colorful, full of unconnected shapes that I hope would feel playful and energetic. I shared it and felt good about it- but the longer it hung in the gallery the more unhappy with it I became. It just didn’t bring me joy.
Another thing I know is that all artists revise, edit rework, repaint, or throw away. In this case I took it up to the studio and just reworked it completely. Here’s the before and after:
I’d love to know what you think!